NASA - Baikonur Cosmodrome Baikonur Cosmodrome Baikonur Cosmodrome is the launch complex where Sputnik 1, Earth's first artificial satellite, was launched. Image at right: Launch Complex 333-L: Baikonur has two Proton launch complexes, one for international launches, and one for Russian military launches. Each launch complex consists of two launch pads. Launch Complex 333, the left launch pad, was used for the Zarya launch. This launch pad, which is also referred to as "point 23," was fully refurbished in 1989. Launch pad 333-R is currently undergoing refurbishment. The rocket that lifted Yuri Gagarin, the first human in orbit, was also launched from Baikonur. In fact, all Russian crewed missions are launched from Baikonur, as well as all geostationary, lunar, planetary and ocean surveillance missions. All space station flights using Russian launch vehicles will be launched from Baikonur. Baikonur is also the only Russian launch site capable of launching the Proton launch vehicle, which was used for Zarya, the first element launch of the space station. The name Baikonur is misleading.

The former Soviet Union used the name and coordinates of a small mining town, Baikonur, to describe the location of its rocket complex. In fact, the launch complex is about 322 kilometers (200 miles) southwest of the mining town near Tyuratam in Kazakhstan. This misrepresentation was done intentionally to hide the actual location of the launch complex. Although the true location is now known, the launch complex is still referred to as Baikonur. Location The Baikonur Cosmodrome is located in the Republic of Kazakhstan, in a semi-arid zone. It is approximately 2,100 kilometers (1,300 miles) southeast of Moscow, Russia. The annual temperature averages 13 degrees Celsius (55 degrees Fahrenheit), but ranges from minus 40 degrees Celsius (minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit) in winter to plus 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) in the summer. Map of Baikonur Cosmodrome Baikonur Cosmodrome | Gateway to Space | International Launch Services Launches of the Proton Breeze M launch vehicle are conducted from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

Location The Baikonur Cosmodrome is located approximately 2,100 km (1,300 miles) southeast of Moscow. History Founded in 1955, the Baikonur Cosmodrome is one of the Russian Federation's two major space launch complexes. Baikonur is located in the Republic of Kazakhstan approximately 2100 kilometers from Moscow. Baikonur has been the launch site for Soviet, and later Russian, human spaceflight programs, geostationary satellites launches and scientific missions to the moon and planets. On 2 June 2015, Baikonur celebrated its 60th year anniversary.

Baikonur has been the site of some of the earliest achievements in space: 4 October 1957: Sputnik, the first man-made satellite to orbit the Earth, was launched from Baikonur 12 April 1961: Yuri Gagarin lifted off from Baikonur to become the first man in space 16 June 1963: Flight of the first woman in space, Valentina Tereshkova 20 November 1998: Zarya, the first piece of the International Space Station (ISS), designed and built by Khrunichev launched on Proton 12 July 2000: Zvezda, the main component of the Russian section of the ISS is launched on Proton The Russian government leases the land that the Baikonur Cosmodrome inhabits from the Kazakhstan government. The long-term lease is currently set to expire in 2050. Specifications Baikonur is a large Y-shaped complex, shown below, that extends about 160 kilometers (100 miles) east to west and 88 kilometers (55 miles) north to south.

The vehicle processing and launch areas are connected to each other and to the city of Baikonur by 470 km (290 mi) of wide-gauge railroad lines. The rail system is the principal mode of transportation. Rockets are carried from their vehicle assembly buildings to their launch pads horizontally on railcars and erected onto the launch pad. Two launch pads are available for commercial Proton missions. Launch vehicle and spacecraft time on pad is five days. The spacecraft is transported to the Baikonur Cosmodrome by air and is offloaded at the on-site Yubileiny Airfield. It is then transported to the state-of-the-art processing facility in Area 92 for testing, fueling, mating to the Breeze M Upper Stage and encapsulation with the payload fairing. Weather conditions in Baikonur have very few launch restraints, offering additional schedule assurance for customers.

World’s Oldest Space Launch Facility: The Baikonur Cosmodrome | Sometimes Interesting World’s Oldest Space Launch Facility: The Baikonur Cosmodrome May 26, 2014 22 About 1,300 miles (2,100 km) southeast of Moscow in the desert steppe of Kazakhstan, the world’s oldest and largest operational space launch facility is still conducting launches. The Baikonur Cosmodrome was originally constructed by the Soviet Union in the late 1950s as the base of operations for its space program. The Cosmodrome has been an important part of space exploration history, having been the launching site of earth’s first satellite and first man in space. Today operations have been scaled down, but it remains one of only a handful of active space launching facilities in the world. courtesy Bill Ingalls, NASA * Region The Baikonur Cosmodrome (космодром Байконур) is located in the desert about 124 miles (200 km) east of the Aral Sea.

The complex is just north of the Syr Darya River and measures 53 miles (85 km) from north to south and 56 miles (90 km) from east to west. In total, the Cosmodrome covers 3,000 square miles (7,650 km2). [ Other places 3,000 square miles in size: The Canary Islands, Death Valley, the city of Juneau Alaska, and the states of Delaware & Rhode Island, put together ] Today the land is on Kazakh soil, leased to Russia until 2050 – but it was part of the Soviet Union when the Cosmodrome was built in the 1950s as a base of operations for the Soviet space program. * Scientific Test Range Number 5 On February 12th, 1955 the Soviet Union issued a decree to construct a secret scientific research test range for the development and testing of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). It was called Scientific Test-Range number 5 (NIIP-5) when it was approved by the Ministry of Defense’s Chief of Staff on June 2nd, 1955.

Decree #292-181 “On the New Test Site of the Ministry of Defense U.S.S.R.” stated: 1. To accept proposals by comrades Malyshev, Zhukov, Vasilevskiy, Dementiev, Domrachev and Kalmykov: a) On creation in 1955-1958 scientific-research and test range of Ministry of Defense USSR for flight testing articles R-7, Burya, and Buran with establishing: The heading part of the range in Kzyl Orda and Karaganda Regions of Kazakh SSR in the area between Novo-Kazalinsk and Dzhusaly. The area of warhead impact in Kamchatka Region of Russian Federation at Cape Ozerniy. The area of first stage impact of R-7 article on the territory of Akmolinsk Region in Kazakh SSR near Tengiz Lake. b) On conducting the first phase of testing Burya and Buran vehicles at reduced range from the territory of scientific-test range #4 of the Ministry of Defense USSR from the region Vladimirovka of Astrakhan Region in the direction of Balkhash Lake. 2.

To assign comrades Malyshev, Saburov and Zhukov in three weeks present in the Soviet of Ministers list of activities for organization and construction above-mentioned test range. – The Chairman of the Soviet of Ministers USSR N. Bulganin & the Operational Director of the Soviet of Ministers USSR A. Korobov. The site was officially named Scientific Research Test Range No. 5 (NIIP-5). Its geographic location was strategically chosen by a commission heavily influenced by military leaders, weapons designers, and rocket engineers. So why the desert in Kazakhstan? It is advantageous to launch where the earth’s rotational speed is greatest; on earth this is at the equator. The flat plains of the land near the Kazakh village of Tyuratam suited Soviet radio communication systems, which at the time required sending uninterrupted signals across ground stations hundreds of kilometers away. (The R-7 Semyorka ICBM required 3 stations, two of which were 100 miles apart while the third was 180 miles behind the launch site) Of course it also doesn’t hurt to build secret weapon launch facilities away from populated areas.

* Baikonur Cosmodrome Construction Crews of builders started arriving in Tyuratam at the end of March in 1955. The village’s tiny rail station was overwhelmed with hundreds of workers and tons of construction materials delivered by trains continuously months. At the time there was very little infrastructure, services, or warehouses. The unloaded train cargo was formed into walls to create private storage areas until the concrete-producing facility was erected shortly thereafter. The first construction was military housing, began on May 5th at Site 10 (today Baikonur, but known as Leninsk from 1958 until 1995). In the early years engineers and military units lived in “dugout towns” near the Tyuratam station; permanent housing for range personnel began in 1956. Site 10 was located on the Syr Darya River and ran along the main train line. The town’s population reached 150,000 during the peak operational years of the Cosmodrome. In June of 1955 work began on the large assembly building in what would be Site 2. By the end of the month the industrial zone at Site 9 was under development as well.

By the end of the summer nearly 5,000 military construction workers were busy erecting structures all around the complex. * Facility Design NIIP-5 is divided into three regions: Central, right, and left. Each served different functions within the Soviet Ministry of Defense and Space Program. The three zones were named for pioneers in early Soviet aerospace: Sergei Korolev : First Soviet Space Program Lead Engineer; personally managed assembly of Sputnik. Mikhail Yangel : Premier Soviet Missile Designer and pioneer of storeable hypergolic fuels; designed the R-12 ballistic missile, famous for its 1962 deployment in Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Vladimir Chelomey : Mechanics scientist, aviation, & missile engineer. Specialist in two-stage liquid propellant ICBMs; father of the Soviet Pulse Jet engine and the world’s first anti-cruise missiles. The principle mode of transportation at the Cosmodrome was the rail system. Rockets were transported from assembly to launch pads horizontally on rail cars known as Motovoz. ( jump to section about legendary Russian diesel-powered locomotives) Once the rail car arrived at the launch facility, the rocket was erected.

Central Region (Korolev Area) The Korolev Area was the first of the three regions to see construction. When groundbreaking began in 1955, it was known internally as Site 1 and was originally a test launch site for the R-7 ICBM – developed at Korolev’s OKB-1 design bureau. Later additions included Area 110 and Area 250. Site 1 played an important role in early Russian rocket and space development programs, its resume is a catalog of historic firsts: It launched the first R-7 ICBM on May 15th, 1957. It was also the launch site of the first manned spacecraft on April 12th, 1961. The milestone was achieved by Yuri Gagarin in the Vostok-1 ; the launch site is nicknamed Gagarin’s Pad in his honor. The Cosmodrome would later host Valentina Tereshkova , who became the first woman in space on board the Vostok-6 when it launched from Baikonur’s Site 1 on June 16th, 1963.

Perhaps the most well-known launch from Site 1 was that of the first artificial satellite in space, Sputnik 1, on October 4th, 1957. Operations at Site 1 reached a zenith in the 1960s and 70s with the emergence of the manned lunar and Energia-Buran programs. It has hosted over 450 launches since it was established, making it one of the highest volume launching facilities in history. Map detectives: Is this Buran shuttle hiding in this hangar ? Right Flank (Yangel Area) The Yangel Area emerged in the late 1950s and occupies the eastern flank of the Baikonur Cosmodrome. It is home to Areas 31, 41, 45, and 109. It is named for designer of the missiles and launchers tested at the site – including the first Soviet intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). However before the first successful launch of the R-16 (NATO: SS-7 Saddler) on February 2nd 1961, an explosion of a prototype in October of 1960 killed over 100 personnel.

The Soviet cover up of the Nedelin Catastrophe lasted for decades before the Kremlin officially acknowledged the disaster in 1989. The Yangel Area would successfully test several ballistic missiles, including: The R-36 (NATO: SS-9 Scarp). These ballistic missiles were flight tested between 1962 and 1966. The R-36M (NATO: SS-18 Satan) ballistic missile began testing in 1971, with later versions of the R-36M2 being tested as recently as 1989. The MR-UR-100 (NATO: SS-17 Spanker) ballistic missiles were tested between 1971 and 1974. The Zenit-2 was a replacement for the 1960s-era Soviet ICBMs. The rockets were designed in Ukraine but launched at Baikonur. Construction of the Zenit rocket complex at Baikonur began in 1978; the launch pads at Site 45 were operational by 1983. A second pad was constructed in 1990 but destroyed during a launch failure that year.

The site launched 11 Zenit trial flights between 1985 and 1987. Left Flank (Chelomei Area) The western side of the Cosmodrome is named for the missile engineer who was responsible for the bulk of the ICBMs tested in its first years. The Chelomei Area is home to Areas 81, 90, 92, 95, and 200. It emerged in the 1960s as a test site for the creations of the OKB-52 design bureau. Missiles and space launchers on the Chelomei Area’s resume include: The UR-100 ICBM (NATO: SS-11 Sego). The most common ICBM deployed in the Soviet Union during the Cold War. The UR-200 ICBM (NATO: SS-10 Scrag). Designed for the deployment of the Fractional Orbital Bombardment System (FOBS), a Khrushchev-sponsored weapon intended to place a nuclear warhead into low Earth orbit (cancelled in 1965).

The UR-500 ICBM , better known as the Proton. It was first launched in 1965 and is still used in 2014, making it one of the longest-tenured launch systems. * Buran shuttle being transported by an Antonov An-225 Mriya The Baikonur Cosmodrome is a massive complex, spanning across 3,000 square miles (7,650 km2) and consuming 600 million kilowatt/hours annually. According to official data from the early 1990s, the Baikonur Cosmodrome had nine launch complexes with fifteen launch pads. It had eleven assembly buildings, a power station, 2 airports, and 225 miles (360 km) of pipelines. It also had an oxygen and nitrogen plant, 3 fueling and neutralization facilities, and 292 miles (470 km) of railway lines. The Cosmodrome has over 795 miles (1,280 km) of roads and 92 communications sites.

NASA offers the following information and visual map of Baikonur: Baikonur has two Proton launch complexes, one for international launches, and one for Russian military launches. Each launch complex consists of two launch pads. Launch Complex 333, the left launch pad, was used for the Zarya launch. This launch pad, which is also referred to as “point 23,” was fully refurbished in 1989. Launch pad 333-R is currently undergoing refurbishment. map courtesy NASA * Operational History By the 1960s the existence of Test Range Number 5 at Baikonur was not a secret to the world at large, but the Russians had done well to cover the Cosmodrome’s true mission of testing liquid-fueled ballistic missiles. With the exception of a handful of intelligence agencies, Baikonur was known for decades worldwide as merely a launch site for Russia’s space program. Aerial shot of Baikonur launch facilities taken by CIA in 1957 The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency had known about the ICBM activities at Baikonur since at least August of 1957.

That year, U-2 high-altitude spy planes captured images of the R-7 missile launch pad near Tyuratam (above), the site’s name as referenced by Soviet engineers and U.S. intelligence agencies. In fact the Cosmodrome was behind one of the most embarrassing surveillance snafus in U.S. history: The May 1960 capture of U-2 pilot Gary Powers (at right), who was shot down while on a mission photographing the Baikonur Cosmodrome, the Plesetsk Cosmodrome , and Chelyabinsk-40 , among others. The town supporting the staff of the Cosmodrome was granted city status in 1966, and given the name of Leninsk (later changed to Baikonur by Boris Yeltsin in 1995). The competing design bureaus which operated in each of the different areas had done well to foster Russian advancement in missile and rocket engineering; between 1960 and the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Baikonur Cosmodrome had successfully conducted thousands of launches.

Historic Baikonur photographs courtesy Buran-Energia.com * Post Cold-War After the breakup of the Soviet Union the Baikonur Cosmodrome ended up on foreign soil, but remained under the control of the Russian Ministry of Defense until the late 1990s. By the end of the decade private Russian space contractors had taken over operation of the facilities. During this transitional time the Dnepr Program was an occupant of the Cosmodrome (from 1992 to 2003), developing a commercial space launch system based on the SS-18 ICBM. The Russia-Kazakhstan Baiterek Joint Venture was announced on December 22nd, 2004. The goal was the construction of a new Bayterek space launch complex for the freshly-developed Angara rocket launcher. The Angara system increases rocket payload to 26 tons from the Baikonur’s Proton rocket 20 ton capacity. Ultimately it would not be a threat to Baikonur; funding issues stalled the program in 2010.

Baikonur Cosmodrome celebrated its 50th anniversary on June 2nd, 2005; six days later Russia and Kazakhstan ratified an agreement to extend Russia’s lease of Baikonur through 2050. However the rent is steep at $115M U.S. dollars (€84M/£68M) per year, and is partially responsible for Russia’s desire for greater space independence and construction of the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Amur Oblast. Gaps in funding shut down United States domestic space launches in June of 2010; in the years since NASA has relied upon the facilities at Baikonur to complete launches. The U.S. anticipated re-opening domestic launch operations in 2015, however in May of 2013 the United States extended its contract at Baikonur until mid-2017. For years Baikonur was the only launch site supporting International Space Station missions.

photos courtesy Bill Ingalls, NASA * The Baikonur Name Ask three Russian engineers about the source of the Baikonur name and you might hear three answers; the mission and origins of the Soviet launch site were always cloaked in secrecy, which led to creative versions of events passed down through the years. One belief is the name was deliberately chosen around 1961 to misdirect Cold War opponents toward a small mining town – named Baikonur – about 200 miles (320 km) away. The enemy would believe the similarly-named launch site was hundreds of miles from its true location. Baikonur/Leninsk townsite Others believe the Baikonur name originated from the Tyuratam region and pre-dates the Cosmodrome facility, which later adopted the regional name (Baikonur is Kazakh for “wealthy brown”). While there is debate about the name Baikonur, everyone understands Tyuratam. Satellite images of Baikonur courtesy NASA (click thumbnails to enlarge) * Baikonur Cosmodrome Today With a 60-year resume of important space launches and world-firsts, one might expect to find Baikonur an advanced and bustling hub of scientific activity.

Instead, vacant buildings which used to house 40 year-old specialty rocket programs now house nomadic herders. Spent launch equipment is salvaged by the local population in the surrounding areas. (below) photos courtesy Jonas Bendiksen Outdated equipment long past its service life sits abandoned in now-unused buildings. The unfriendly climate and remote location have largely protected the abandoned portions of the site from vandals. Streets are mostly filled with herders and day laborers; only occasionally does one see an engineer or scientist. Yet the town proudly embraces its history. Around every corner is a mosaic of a cosmonaut or whimsical rendering of planets and shuttles; water fountains boast rocket spouts. Visitors to Baikonur are greeted by a monument known as “Rybak” (fisherman), which greets visitors with a brag describing the size of fish he caught in the nearby Syr Darya River (below). Anna Khodakovskaya, editor of the local newspaper, ruminates on Tyuratam technology milestones. She recalls the first cellphones appeared around 2004; the first MRI in 2011.

Cynically cognizant of Baikonur’s limited offerings, Khodakovskaya notes “We are not ahead of the planet in anything but space.” (click thumbnails to enlarge) Abandoned since the fall of the Soviet Union The site is not all abandoned buildings and warehouses; the currently-used launch facilities are some of the most advanced in the world. As of the latest census, the town of Baikonur (Leninsk) has over 36,000 residents. Astronauts, visiting engineers, and western administrators stay in upscale hotels which can cost more than $340 per night. When the Kazakh government estimated Baikonur’s value in 2011 at $3.4 billion (USD), they reminded others it is one of few operational space launch sites in the world. photo of Energia launch facilities courtesy alexpgp Despite the formal agreement with Russia, tensions often run high over operational disagreements. Russia wants Kazakhstan to keep vagrants from scavenging equipment and squatting in the facilities; Kazakhstan points to housing shortages and high unemployment issues stemming from Russia’s lesser investment than years past. Today Russia is building Vostochny , a launch complex intended to reduce Russia’s dependency on Baikonur.

When it is completed in 2018, the Russian-Kazakh partnership at Baikonur will be further threatened. Baikonur & Energia photos courtesy alexpgp * Did You Know? * After the dissolution of the U.S.S.R. Baikonur became foreign territory. Some of the operations migrated to the Plesetsk Cosmodrome about 500 miles (800 km) north of Moscow ( map ). * One of the consequences of the world’s dependency on Baikonur? The requirement of astronauts to be proficient in Russian . * The Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert is the Chinese version of Baikonur, leading the country in launches and with a long resume of “firsts” for Chinese space exploration. * Watch Baikonur launches: * How does one move a Buran shuttle? With the world’s largest aircraft, of course. Read the S-I feature of the Antonov An-225 Mriya .

(pictured below) Mriya lifts the Buran, Le Bourget 1989 * Visitor Account Anatoly Zak visited in the 1980s and shared his experience at Russian Space Web : “During my army service in the 1980s, at a remote site in northern Russia, I was sometimes asked to draw a propaganda poster, a leaflet or a sign for our barracks. Even though, my army-commissioned art was mostly limited to crude copying of the portraits of Vladimir Lenin or primitive exercises in typography, I found my “artistic experiments” as a great relief from exhaustion of daily conscript service. I remembered this experience years later on one trip to Baikonur, when I saw a soldier painting a picture of a rocket on a large block of concrete, which marked the entrance into the launch facility. When driving around Baikonur, a careful observer could notice numerous walls, road signs or simply pieces of concrete touched by a brush of unknown artists.

Some artwork still reminded about old ideology, intentionally or unintentionally preserved as in some sort of time capsule, some were brand-new, poeticizing the exploration of space rather then “the party line.” No doubt, the majority of this uncelebrated paintings and sculptures had been created by conscripts, who spend most of their two-year service in Baikonur repairing roads, laying bricks, driving trucks and guarding gates. Being a fan of architecture and painting myself, I tried to preserve on film as many examples of the “soldiers’ art” as possible. The result was this page dedicated to those countless conscript painters and sculptors, to their time, life, talent and often unwilling sacrifice to the exploration of space.” * The Motovoz Trains & Baikonur Rail System When Baikonur was designed, launch complexes were built miles away from each other. The handling of nuclear warheads and necessity for utmost secrecy resulted in a network of launch sites spread across hundreds of miles. To move large pieces of equipment across a barren land, a heavy-duty rail system was used. The rail system at Baikonur is one of the largest industrial railways in the world.

For over 50 years it has been used for logistics, personnel transport, rocket construction, and all stages of launch preparation. (click to enlarge) Large diesel-powered trains did the heavy lifting between the town, construction complexes, and launch sites. The now-legendary Motovoz trains were initially 1930s-era vintage cars with wooden furniture, plywood bunk beds, and broken lavatories. In the summer the rail cars became saunas, prompting some to partially undress; consequently men and women traveled in separate cars. Air-conditioned rail cars did not arrive in Baikonur until the early 1980s, by which time shelters had been added to protect the trains from the searing desert heat. Conditions have improved, but the Motovoz is no Train à Grande Vitesse .

* For the Map Explorers: The Launchpads of Baikonur Cosmodrome Kazakhstan Wants Rocket Launch Site Back from Russia Kazakhstan Wants Rocket Launch Site Back from Russia By SPACE.com Staff | December 10, 2012 04:39pm ET MORE A Russian Soyuz-FG rocket launches 5 satellites from Baikonur launch site on July 22, 2012, at 10:00 Moscow time. Credit: Roscosmos Kazakhstan may want jurisdiction over Russia's main rocket-launching site, which lies within the Central Asian nation's borders, according to media reports. The two countries are discussing returning control of the Kazakh city of Baikonur to Kazakhstan, Russia's Ria Novosti news agency reported today (Dec. 10). Russia has launched manned and unmanned missions from Baikonur Cosmodrome for decades; since the breakup of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, this has been done under a lease from Kazakhstan.

"Today both nations' governments have decided to set up a new intergovernmental commission for the Baikonur complex to be headed up by first or other deputy prime ministers," Kazakh space agency head Talgat Musabayev told Kazakhstan's parliament today, according to Ria Novosti . Kazakh officials demanded that the commission be established, Ria Novosti reported. Russia currently pays Kazakhstan $115 million annually to use Baikonur Cosmodrome, plus $50 million every year for maintenance, under a deal signed in 2004. That agreement is slated to expire in 2050. At the moment, Russia is the only nation capable of launching astronauts to the International Space Station . Russia's crew-carrying Soyuz spacecraft all launch from Baikonur, with the next manned flight to the orbiting lab slated for Dec. 19. That liftoff will carry NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn, Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko and Candian Chris Hadfield into orbit, bringing the station's current Expedition 34 mission up to its full complement of six crewmemembers. Russia plans to withdraw from Baikonur eventually, Ria Novosti reported.

The nation will shift Baikonur's launches over to Plesetsk Cosmodrome — an operating spaceport about 500 miles (800 kilometers) north of Moscow — and the unfinished Vostochny space center in the Russian Far East. Russia and Kazakhstan are also working together on a new complex at Baikonur. The facility, called Baiterek, will support launches of Russia's Angara cargo rocket, which is currently in development. Follow SPACE.com on Twitter @Spacedotcom . We're also on Facebook & Google+ . Russia Promises Manned Launches from Its Own Soil in 2018 Russia Promises Manned Launches from Its Own Soil in 2018 By Elizabeth Howell, Space.com Contributor | June 13, 2013 04:04pm ET MORE The Soyuz TMA-05M rocket launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on July 15, 2012.

Credit: NASA/Carla Cioffi Russia, one of the world's space powerhouses, has been launching its rockets from Kazakhstan since the early days of its space program, but now plans to shift its launches to Russian soil within five years. But some experts question whether such a pace is realistic. This spring, President Vladimir Putin pledged $51.8 billion by 2020 to place his country back in the top ranks of world space explorers. The centerpiece of that promise is Vostochny, a cosmodrome, or launch site, under construction in eastern Siberia, near the Chinese border. Within five years, Putin promised that an International Space Station crew would launch from Vostochny. "Construction work is accelerated here," Putin told the space station's Expedition 35crew in Russian remarks translated on NASA Television April 12. Russia will be launching manned vehicles by 2018, he added.

"The next stage, by 2020, we plan to launch extra-heavy vehicles." [ Russia's New Spaceport: Vostochny Space Launch Center in Photos ] Putin's motivations could be political — there have been tensions over the years with the Baikonur Cosmodrome lease in Kazakhstan — or, observers said, a move to bring more commercial space activity into his country. Changing allegiances Construction of the Vostochny Space Launch Centre. Image released April 12, 2013. Credit: The Presidential Press and Information Office Baikonur used to be the crown jewel of Russia's manned space program. Built amid the space race between the Soviet Union and the United States, Baikonur was the spot where Sputnik soared into the sky in 1957 and became the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth. Four years later, humanity's first spacefarer — Yuri Gagarin — launched from the cosmodrome, leading the charge for dozens of other cosmonauts to suit up and take missions of their own into orbit.

"The Russians have a historical interest in the space program because they were leaders for a long time," Art Dula, a Houston-based space lawyer who has been in the industry for more than 30 years, told SPACE.com. Things changed as the Soviet Union crumbled. In 1991, Kazakhstan declared independence. Russia now was forced to lease its launch facility from another country to get its own manned missions off the ground. The latest agreement between the two countries was signed in 2004, but took six years to ratify, according to Russian news service RIA Novosti. The pact allows the Russians to use Baikonur until 2050 for an annual lease price of $115 million, in addition to $50 million in yearly maintenance for the facility. When the space shuttle program retired in 2011, Baikonur became one of only two locations in the world where humans launch to space — making it all the more precious for the Russians, said space consultant James Oberg. (The other is in China .) But with NASA working on its own launch vehicles and commercial tourist flights taking off as soon as 2014, that prime position will evaporate shortly, he said.

[ Video: Putin Plays Peace Card At New Russian Space Launch Site ] "It's a situation in which NASA will have been moving into a nondependent position vis-a-vis its own orbital transportation, which is a good thing [for the Americans]," Oberg, a former NASA space shuttle mission control engineer, told SPACE.com. "The Russians realize this," Oberg said. "The Russians, looking at the future of their program, are very distressed." Motivating politics The Soyuz TMA-03M spacecraft stands on the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The vehicle is slated to carry three new crewmembers to the International Space Station on Wednesday (Dec. 21). Credit: NASA/Carla Cioffi Oberg said the Russians and Kazakhstanis came to loggerheads several times since the first lease was signed. Disagreements about rocket trajectories, and concerns about the long-term stability of the Kazakhstani government, are both spurs in the sides of Russia to seek alternatives, he said. "For the massive investment of the new cosmodrome, I'm not seeing any practical advantages to justify it, so I suspect that these are political and diplomatic purposes; they were the main motivation," he said.

The venerable Russian Soyuz spacecraft that hauls people into orbit today will require a major overhaul to leave Earth from Vostochny, Oberg added. Baikonur is landlocked, while Vostochny is closer to the ocean. "Just launching manned spacecraft over the ocean, for one, requires major changes in the abort modes and major hardware changes to the Soyuz [because] you're coming down on water instead of land," he said. There could, however, be other economic factors at play. Asif Siddiqi, a Russian space analyst at Fordham University, said Russia has wanted to develop the countryside around Vostochny for decades. "They could make it a science and technology hub," he said. Construction started in earnest last year, but companies have hesitated to participate out of fear it will be a boondoggle, he said. Siddiqi, though, said he believed eventual completion is possible. "It's going to happen. That's not the question. But I just don't think it's going to happen as soon as [Putin] said it will," he said. Vostochny, Dula added, could spur a multitrillion dollar business when it does get going.

Although there will be competition from other sites for commercial launch companies, he likened the situation to the dozens of airlines worldwide that take to the skies. Competition, he said, is good. "I believe that President Putin recognized that Russia, to stay a leader in this area, had to invest billions of dollars to upgrade their facilities," he said. Further, economic studies undertaken by Dula's company show the nascent commercial tourism industry could provide a significant profit to those willing to support it. While human launches are a minority of the space market now, Dula sees huge potential for unmanned liftoffs shortly. "You can't measure how many people are using a bridge by watching how many swim across the water," Dula said. "This will be a growth industry ... once there is a profit to be made in space from taking people into space, then the industry will develop very rapidly." Follow Elizabeth Howell @howellspace , or SPACE.com @Spacedotcom . We're also on Facebook and Google+ .

Editor's Recommendations Putin hails first rocket launch from new cosmodrome | World news | The Guardian Putin hails first rocket launch from new cosmodrome Launch of Soyuz 2.1a marks milestone for Russia’s beleaguered space industry after series of embarrassments Thursday 28 April 2016 11.03 EDT Last modified on Friday 29 April 2016 10.48 EDT Close This article is 9 months old Russia has launched the first rocket from its new Vostochny cosmodrome, with President Vladimir Putin praising the event after dressing down officials over a delay caused by a technical glitch. The launch marks a milestone for Russia’s beleaguered space sector, with the new spaceport in the far east of the country touted to signal a rebirth of an industry plagued by a string of embarrassments in recent years. The Soyuz 2.1a rocket carrying three satellites took off at 11.01am (02:01 GMT) on Thursday, the Roscosmos national space agency said, after the countdown was automatically halted for technical reasons 24 hours previously.

Russia launches Proton-M rocket carrying telecoms satellite Read more National television showed the Soyuz 2.1a taking off into a blue sky in light winds, although foreign media organisations were not allowed to enter the new space centre. Putin, who was present for the take-off, told industry officials: “You know they say that the proof of the pudding is in the eating. You have to make the first launch to confirm the cosmodrome is ready for work. And you did it! “I want to congratulate you. We can be proud. It’s a serious and important contribution to the development of the Russian space industry. Yesterday the technical side was put to the test and the launch had to be stopped, but it happens. It’s a normal thing.” The postponement of Vostochny’s inaugural launch had prompted the Russian strongman to scold space chiefs – despite delays worldwide being relatively frequent. A European launch from French Guiana had to be postponed three times last week before finally taking place on Monday. The Russian delay was due to a malfunction of a cable, space agency spokesman Mikhail Fadeyev said. Construction on the new spaceport began in 2012 but has been marred by labour disputes, corruption scandals and delays.

The first satellite launch had been scheduled for late 2015, but setbacks forced authorities to review the timetable. “Despite all its failings, Russia remains the world leader in the number of space launches,” Putin told a meeting of space officials on Wednesday. “But the fact that we’re encountering a large number of failures is bad. There must be a timely and professional reaction.” Pinterest Putin gives a speech after the rocket launch at the new Vostochny cosmodrome. Photograph: Mikhail Klimentyev/AFP/Getty The new spaceport in the Amur region has been hailed by Putin as Russia’s biggest building project, with a budget estimated at 300bn-400bn rubles (£3.2bn-£4.2bn). Approximately 10,000 workers have been building 70 miles of roads in the vast but sparsely populated region, as well as 78 miles of railways and a town with housing for 25,000 people. The Kremlin’s goal is to ease Russia’s dependence on Baikonur in Kazakhstan , a launchpad Moscow has been forced to rent at a cost of $115m a year since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

But the deputy prime minister, Dmitry Rogozin, who oversees the space and defence industries, said Russia would continue to use Baikonur to launch manned missions until 2023, and the Soyuz 2.1a would be the only launch from Vostochny in 2016. Russian rocket manufacturer insists it is not to blame for failed Antares launch Read more Roscosmos plans to hold two launches from Vostochny next year and six to eight launches in 2018, said Fadeyev. Political analyst Alexei Makarkin said the launch was a clear success and all the more important against a backdrop of an economic crisis brought on by low oil prices and western sanctions over Moscow’s role in Ukraine. “Space right now is an attribute of greatness,” he said. “Russia now is trying to catch up in the space industry. Outside the commodities sector we don’t have a lot of competitive industries. What else can we offer the world?” Russia is also home to the Plesetsk cosmodrome in the north, used for satellite launches and missile testing. Vostochny, like Baikonur, is closer to the equator, making launches more energy-efficient and cheaper.

The new cosmodrome now has one launchpad for the Soyuz, the only rocket being used for manned space flights. A second construction phase will begin next year to build a reinforced launchpad for the Angara rocket, which is being tested to replace the ageing Proton workhorse variety. Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan - ASTER Image Gallery Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan Click on Image to Enlarge (JPG) Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan (329,877 bytes) ( 988 x 1,146 ) Baikonur, formerly Leninsk, is a city in Kazakhstan rented and administered by the Russian Federation to service the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The Soviet government established the site as a missile test range, and launched Sputnik from here in 1957. Baikonur was photographed by the U.S. U-2 plane in 1957 (according to Wikipedia). The site is used for launch of all Russian crewed missions, as well as geostationary, lunar, planetary and ocean observing missions. The U.S.

uses the Russian launch capabilities to send our astronauts to the Space Station while we are developing our own heavy launch vehicle to replace the Space Shuttle. The image covers 15 x 23 km, was acquired on July 27, 2010, and is located at 46 degrees north latitude, 63.6 degrees east longitude. Click on thumbnails below for full resolution images. Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan Kazakhstan Approves More Launches from Baikonur - SpaceNews.com Kazakhstan Approves More Launches from Baikonur by SpaceNews Editor — April 8, 2013 Kazakhstan has agreed to raise the ceiling on Russian commercial launches this year from the Baikonur Cosmodrome from 12 to 15, according to Kalamkas Temirova, a spokeswoman for the Kazakh Space Agency. Russia originally sought permission for 17 commercial missions this year from Baikonur, which is located in the central Asian republic. Kazakhstan initially agreed to 12, triggering a Russian diplomatic push that industry sources say was driven in part by a desire to provide more margin for its commercial launch industry.

Several different Russian rockets operate from Baikonur, including the heavy-lift Proton, a workhorse with a substantial commercial manifest. International Launch Services (ILS), which markets the Proton commercially, launched the Satmex 8 satellite from Baikonur in March, and that mission counts against the 15-launch ceiling, according to Russian sources. ILS has six more launches scheduled between now and August, part of a total Proton manifest of 12 missions for the remainder of the year, according to industry sources.

Question: Name the Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan from where Russian space missions are launched?
Answer: Baikonur